The invention relates to a network or array of battery-powered, illuminated, color-coded symbols and text messages, in any required language or combination of languages, configured by LED""s housed in a series of narrow strip assembly units laid flush in the center of floors in land-based buildings and maritime structures.
The system encourages automatic dissemination of evacuees during fire-drills and fire emergencies, particularly in a smoke fog and low light conditions following a mains-lighting failure. Walking or crawling evacuees are guided away from assessed danger zones, then via assessed safe routes leading to assessed safe designated exits. Provision is also made for in-going firefighters to access a schematic picture pertaining to the location, extent and nature of a fire, prior to entering a structure.
Fire is our greatest danger. An outbreak in office complexes, public libraries, hospitals, hotels, superstores, shopping malls, passenger liners, oil-rig platforms etc., often involves hundreds, sometimes thousands of people contained in a maze of boxes inside a box. They need to escape from the dangers of fire by negotiating routes which will lead them quickly towards their nearest and safest designated emergency exits.
For decades conventional battery-powered lights in ceilings, with printed or illuminated xe2x80x98FIRE EXITxe2x80x99 signs on walls or above fire doors, have been provided to assist emergency egress. Yet in dense smoke rising to the ceiling, these signs are liable to become obscured and illegible, rendering them ineffective for their intended purpose.
A nightmarish scenario then presents itself. Disorientated evacuees, perhaps in semi-darkness and gasping for breath as air becomes smoke polluted and starved of oxygen, are nevertheless obliged to embark upon the time-consuming trial-and-error method of finding their own route to safety. Doors leading to no-exit storerooms, toilets and dead-end corridors are obstacles they have to overcome in a maze-type puzzle they must solve quickly, or possibly perish in the attempt.
In recent times concern has been voiced about the nature of fires and resulting fatalities. In any kind of emergency, too many people using too few exits has proven a perennial problem. Fire-drills and theory advocates preferably organized dissemination of evacuees towards their nearest available exits. In reality where panic-stricken evacuees have instinctively tended to congregate into xe2x80x98follow the leaderxe2x80x99 surges or stampedes towards any exit, a pile-up of bodies has too often resulted in deaths from crushing at the doors of randomly chosen exits.
Arguably, more worrying is the increasing fatality statistics related to asphyxiation from inhalation of lethal toxic gases produced by burning plastics and other man-made combustible materials. It is said that asphyxiation from toxic smoke can occur in less than ten minutes, leaving little time for even the most calm and organized evacuees to determine which routes/exits are safe to attempt egress, and which are not.
Given that no evacuee can afford to waste a minute of whatever safe evacuation or precious survival time is available, getting xe2x80x98lostxe2x80x99 has undoubtedly been a major factor as the indirect cause of death in a fire situation. Sadly, many victims asphyxiated in un-burned sections of a building have been found within short distances of available safe exits, while others have expired apparently during expeditious excursions into the unknown, unaware that they were heading towards, rather than away from danger.
In addressing these problems, a number of inventions have utilized the concept of providing low/ground-level emergency lighting to augment overhead lighting. Various apparatus has predominantly employed white or near-white light-emitting chemicals and incandescent components incorporated in strip lighting running along walls and skirtings, illuminated wall-handles, illuminated carpet overlays and strip illumination in floors approaching fire exit doors.
When it was found that even low-powered white light diffuses in smoke at or near ground levelxe2x80x94the unhelpful effect similar to that experienced by drivers using vehicle headlamps in fogxe2x80x94Gerald H. Gross (U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,909) introduced a floor lighting strip containing horizontally assembled, counterfacing, paired light emitting diodes with reflective prisms producing static, angled beams of light to guide evacuees.
However, none of the aforementioned inventions or existing overhead lighting and statutory xe2x80x98FIRE EXITxe2x80x99 signs are capable of informing evacuees on route to designated fire exits, whether or not they are heading towards or away from danger.
It is a paradox that existing statutory signs (when legible) in an unpredictable fire situation, can direct evacuees unwittingly towards exits which themselves may be part of a danger zone to be otherwise sensibly avoided. Therefore, in my view, it is of paramount importance that evacuees be guided swiftly away from any predetermined or assessed developing danger zones as fire and smoke spreads, and then only along assessed safe routes leading towards assessed safe exits.
Accordingly, the primary objective of this invention is assist walking or crawling evacuees who may find themselves engulfed in darkness and in a smoke fogxe2x80x94without prior knowledge as to where safe available designated exits are located in buildings or maritime structuresxe2x80x94by guiding them calmly and swiftly via routes leading away from any predetermined or developing danger zones, and then towards the nearest and safest available designated exits.
Another objective is to induce automatic dissemination of evacuees during simulated emergencies or fire-drills, during flooding, earthquakes, bomb-scares and others types of non-fire emergencies.
Another objective is to provide firefighters with an update, time-identified schematic picture relating to the location, spread and nature of a fire prior them entering a structure.
This is achieved by employing a network array of color-coded, static or actively illuminated symbols and text messages displayed in any language or combination of languages, embodied in narrow strip assembly units laid flush in the center of corridors, passages and walkways on routes leading towards designated exits, or occasionally where deemed hazardous features (such as dead-end corridors) need to be defined.
The invention primarily utilizes the internationally recognized color-code as employed in traffic lights:xe2x80x94the color green for GO, and the color red for STOP or danger. Green defines all predetermined or updated advisable xe2x80x98go-routesxe2x80x99. Red defines all predetermined, developing or updated advisable xe2x80x98no-go areas/danger zonesxe2x80x99.
On illuminated green go-routes, evacuees follow a series of distinctive green arrow symbols which appear to move forward in a wave-like motion, and in the direction in which they are pointing. At strategic stages the arrows are interspersed with static green colored text messages or xe2x80x98comfort guidesxe2x80x99, for example, relating to distances towards assessed safe exits. These can be read xe2x80x98on the trotxe2x80x99 in the vertical mode, or horizontally at xe2x80x98Txe2x80x99 junctions or at a crossroads of corridors/walkways where green go-arrows may be found pointing in different directions when more than one designated exit is deemed safe and available for use. In this instance, emphasis is placed upon encouraging evacuees to use the nearest/safest route/exit; the first few visible green go-arrow symbols are seen to move more rapidly to attract their attention.
The color green, used widely in ophthalmic hospitals for its soothing visual properties and claimed calming effect, diffuses less than white light in smoke at or near ground level. The effect of any green light diffusion produced by the active arrow symbols appears as useful pulses or blocks of green light moving always in the advised go-route direction. Consequently, even for an appreciable small minority of color-blind evacuees, this movement of green light stands in contrast to static or flashing red colored no-go danger zone warnings to identify predetermined hazards such as dead-end corridors, or doors leading to no-exit basements etc, additionally those areas assessed as developing danger zones due to spreading fire and smoke.
In one example of a predetermined danger-zone; namely at the entrance to elevators, here floor units display a red colored flashing text message warning or advising evacuees:xe2x80x94xe2x80x98DONT USExe2x80x94GO TO EXITxe2x80x99. In other examples of predetermined danger zones, such as a main entrance to a structure with electrically operated revolving doors, or on the approach to dead-end corridors, here floor units display red colored flashing xe2x80x98Xxe2x80x99 warning symbols with inverted triangle symbols and/or suitable text messages to emphasis potential dangers.
As and when fire and smoke intensifies, resulting in developing danger zones, these zones are added to those predetermined as dangerous or nogo routes. Any designated exits or escape routes detected to have fallen within a fire/smoke danger zone triggers automatic re-designation of green go and red no-go routes throughout the system. Green go-routes leading towards danger zones are cancelled, and red no-go danger zones established in their place. Green go-arrows can be reversed, likewise advisory text messages and symbols initiated to effectively re-route evacuees away from danger and towards alternative nearest/safest exits.
In normal or standby mode, the color amber is also employed, sparingly, to indicate status for inspection/maintenance purposes.